Anyone who pays any attention to harpsichord music must come across Mitzi Meyerson sooner or later. Besides being a former member of Trio Sonnerie, she has recorded many unknown yet fabulous harpsichord works. She currently teaches in Berlin, where her position was previously established for pioneer female harpsichordist Wanda Landowska. As an early music fanatic and rather mediocre amateur harpsichordist, a Friday night concert at Berkeley, though unideal and painful, was still a must-go for me. This concert turned out to be one of the most enjoyable solo harpsichord recitals I've ever attended.

For the evening, Meyerson picked out a program of entirely French harpsichord pieces, which ironically I fail to have any recordings of. Before playing anything, Meyerson addressed the audience humbly about what an honor it was for her to return and play at the Bay Area. Occupying the first half of the program were the two pillars of French harpsichord music - Rameau and Couperin. And from the opening umeasured prelude of Rameau, the audience got to experience Meyerson's unique personal style that has come to garner rave reviews. Registers shifts, playful articulations, interesting timing decisions, and ornamentations on repeats all showcase her creative musicality. The other remaining Rameau pieces also reflect Meyerson's attentiveness in create different textures and moods on the harpsichord.

The Couperin which followed next probably resonated with me the least. I'm not sure if this is due to my overall lesser opinion of Couperin's keyboard music (admittedly some good pieces among his vast output) or some other underlying reason, but even Meyerson's performance could not implant any great impression. However, there were memorable moments, like the prelude from l'Art de Toucher le Clavecin (The Art of Playing the Harpsichord) which opened the suite. This was one of the earliest pieces I've got to learn and play on the harpsichord, and Meyerson's flexibility in phrasing and timing offered a delightful fresh approach. The most well-known piece in the suite though, was no doubt the Mysterious Barricades. Surprisingly though, her tempo was quite regular, and the playing turned out to be a tad too straightforward. However, before playing this piece, she jokingly told the audience that anyone who tries to play the piece "gets lost at some point", with a humorous demonstration. After the concert I went up to her and told her I was among those "lost souls".

Mitzi Meyerson

The pieces that left me in a sheer sense of awe and amazement, had to be the second half's Forqueray. I started out already really liking Forqueray's music, owning several recordings of the music. Every piece is different and are all full of character, not to mention the transcription from the viola da gamba which gives it a very unique sonority. Meyerson selected pieces from the D minor 1st suite and D major 3rd suite into a suite of her own. The music which flowed from her fingers was distinctly different than my usual expected interpretations of the pieces, and there's no better of putting it other than saying that I was hearing Forqueray in new light. Having attended so many early music concerts, only Mahan's SFEMS concert years ago and some of Elaine's Stanford recitals were able to give me the same level of such immense pleasure on the harpsichord as Meyerson's Forqueray this evening.

Meyerson does not have Rousset or Sempe's raw might and power. Instead, she possesses a graceful feminine touch, backed up by an endless bag of tricks up her sleeve, which come in at times totally unexpected, the effect even being downright humorous. In the audience, I noticed that harpsichordist Junghae Kim was constantly smiling; I guess she must have really enjoyed greatly too. At the conclusion of the Forqueray pieces, I experienced a complete palette of colors and moods of French harpsichord music. There was La Labord being majestic, La Cottin playful amidst its dark overtone, La Regente grand and poised, with Meyerson's pounding chords providing a comical effect, La du Vaucel'sserenity, Meyerson even doing a full stop at one point, La Portugaise powerful and rich, yet some humor created by Meyerson's unique sense of timing, La Bellmont's swing, and finally La Couperin's rhythmic pulse and energy. All of this was a true sense of epiphany, as I never imagined that Forqueray could be played like this!

When it came time for the encore, Meyerson asked if the audience wanted more of this (French) sound, or if they preferred something else. When the consensus opted for something different, she gave us Bach's first prelude from the first book of the Well-Tempered Clavier. What we didn't see coming was the shifting into the upper register in the repeat of each phrase within the bar. An immediate echo effect was achieved, and something so obvious, I wonder why I've never heard it done before. It goes to show that even in the most popular well-known pieces, Meyerson never fails to come up with something original.

After the concert, I waited until close friends and professional musicians finished talking to her before finding the opportunity to speak to her. While she may appear to look a little distant, she was really sweet and friendly in person. On some of my CD booklets, she even addressed me personally with personal greetings (image below). Such patience and sincerity in a musician is something you truly don't find often. This Meyerson concert was true satisfaction on many accounts.

1 comment:

I simply wanted to say I am glad there are still musicians like Meyerson who aren't afraid to play with freedom and an inventive spirit. It appears that when done in good taste the results can be very rewarding.